President Donald Trump signed the so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" into law on the Fourth of July, bringing to a close a weekslong back and forth in Washington about the fate of the massive spending package.
The bill includes a historic sum of some $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security.
That means additional money for construction along the border in Arizona and other states — the package puts more than $46 billion toward more wall projects. Another $15 billion will go toward Customs and Border Protection facilities and other initiatives.
The new money will add to existing funding already being used for border construction. Several weeks ago, the Trump administration announced plans to build a more than 20 mile stretch of wall across a biodiversity hot spot in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands called the San Rafael Valley.
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Top Republican Arizona state lawmakers are lining up with the Department of Homeland Security — and against the Tohono O'odham Nation — over whether the federal agency can build 62 miles of border wall through that reservation. -
The New World screwworm parasite has been in Mexico for more than a year and a half. Now that it’s crossed the border, the United States could turn south for direction. -
As some Arizonans prepare to bring their dogs south of the border during the summer travel season, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reminding travelers to prepare.
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Court records show that Jorge Luis Castro-Mercado has pleaded not guilty to a dozen counts such as conspiracy, possession and importation of methamphetamine and fentanyl. -
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is in touch with Arizona ranchers to protect against the deadly parasite.
